PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino 3rd has signed an executive order that would put in place an integrated system of quality education to address the mismatch in jobs and skills and generate employment.

Executive Order (EO) 83 institutionalized the Philippine Qualifications Framework (PQF), a national policy that weaves basic education, technical-vocational education, and higher education into one coherent, quality-assured instrument for classifying qualifications.

Major players in the implementation of the new policy are the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education, which were tasked to craft a detailed description for each of the qualification level.

The Department of Labor and Employment and the Professional Regulations Company are also part of the technical working group that worked together to define the PQF.

The 8-Level Qualifications Descriptions would give students the option to finish courses with a National Certificate 1 (NC1), NC2, NC3, NC4 or graduate with a Diploma Degree, Baccalaureate Degree, post-Baccalaureate Degree or a Doctoral Degree.

The agencies will jointly implement national pilot programs to determine the PQF’s relevance and applicability in all levels of education.

Sec. Joel Villanueva, Tesda director general, said that the PQF would offer a seamless framework that would allow students to move rea-dily between and across different education and training sectors, as well as across labor markets.

“For example, a Grade 10 graduate or the equivalent of our high school graduate may continue up to Grade 12 and get an NC1 or NC2 certificate, and after this, may proceed to higher education qualifications up to a doctorate degree. Or he may stop but may also be able to work because he has acquired the NC2 qualification,” he said.

The PQF was also in line with the K-to-12 education program that the country adopted starting this school year, Villanueva said.